Dual-chamber fluid pump for a multi-fluid electronics cooling system and method

Abstract

A dual-chamber fluid pump is provided for a multi-fluid electronics cooling system and method. The pump has a first fluid path for pumping a first fluid coolant and a second fluid path for pumping a second fluid coolant, with the first fluid path including a first pumping chamber and the second fluid path including a second pumping chamber. The first and second pumping chambers are separated by at least one diaphragm, and an actuator is coupled to the diaphragm for transitioning the diaphragm between a first position and a second position. Transitioning of the diaphragm to the first position pumps first fluid coolant from the first pumping chamber while concurrently drawing second fluid coolant into the second pumping chamber, and transitioning of the diaphragm to the second position pumps second fluid coolant from the second pumping chamber while concurrently drawing first fluid coolant into the first pumping chamber.

1. An apparatus comprising:
 an electronics cooling system; 
 a pump for the electronics cooling system, the pump comprising:
 a first fluid path for pumping a first fluid coolant of the electronics cooling system and a second fluid path for pumping a second fluid coolant of the electronics cooling system, the first fluid path comprising a first pumping chamber and the second fluid path comprising a second pumping chamber, the first fluid coolant and the second fluid coolant being different fluid coolants of the electronics cooling system, and respectively cool a first electronic device and a second electronic device; 
 a first diaphragm and a second diaphragm separating the first pumping chamber and the second pumping chamber; and 
 an actuator disposed between the first diaphragm and the second diaphragm for transitioning the first diaphragm and the second diaphragm between a first position and a second position, wherein transitioning of the first diaphragm and the second diaphragm together to the first position pumps first fluid coolant from the first pumping chamber while concurrently drawing second fluid coolant into the second pumping chamber, and transitioning of the first diaphragm and the second diaphragm together to the second position pumps second fluid coolant from the second pumping chamber while concurrently drawing first fluid coolant into the first pumping chamber. 
 
 
     
     
       2. The pump of  claim 1 , wherein the first diaphragm comprises a wall of the first pumping chamber and the second diaphragm comprises a wall of the second pumping chamber. 
     
     
       3. The pump of  claim 1 , wherein the first fluid path is separate from the second fluid path. 
     
     
       4. The pump of  claim 1 , wherein the first fluid coolant of the electronics cooling system is a different fluid coolant than the second fluid coolant of the electronics cooling system. 
     
     
       5. The pump of  claim 4 , wherein the first fluid coolant is a dielectric fluid and the second fluid coolant is an aqueous fluid, and wherein the actuator is a piezoelectric actuator. 
     
     
       6. The pump of  claim 1 , wherein the first fluid path further comprises a first fluid inlet and a first fluid outlet in fluid communication with the first pumping chamber, and the second fluid path comprises a second fluid inlet and a second fluid outlet in fluid communication with the second pumping chamber, wherein the first fluid inlet, the first fluid outlet, the second fluid inlet and the second fluid outlet each have associated therewith a respective check valve to ensure that first fluid coolant flow through the first fluid path is unidirectional from the first fluid inlet out through the first fluid outlet and second fluid coolant flow through the second fluid path is unidirectional from the second fluid inlet out through the second fluid outlet. 
     
     
       7. The pump of  claim 1 , wherein the actuator comprises a piezoelectric actuator disposed between the first diaphragm and the second diaphragm, the piezoelectric actuator comprising a piezoelectric material coupled to both the first diaphragm and the second diaphragm and electrical wiring connected to the piezoelectric material to facilitate electrical driving of the piezoelectric material and thereby transitioning the first and second diaphragms together between the first and second positions, and wherein the electrical wiring is isolated from the first pumping chamber and the second pumping chamber by the first diaphragm and the second diaphragm. 
     
     
       8. A cooled electronic system comprising:
 a first fluid-cooled electronic module and a second fluid-cooled electronic module; 
 at least one heat exchanger for cooling fluid effluent from the first fluid-cooled electronic module and the second fluid-cooled electronic module, the fluid effluent comprising a first fluid coolant and a second fluid coolant, the at least one heat exchanger comprising a first reservoir for receiving first fluid coolant output from the first fluid-cooled electronic module and a second reservoir for receiving second fluid coolant output from the second fluid-cooled electronic module; 
 a pump for moving the first fluid coolant to the first fluid-cooled electronic module from the first reservoir and the second fluid coolant to the second fluid-cooled electronic module from the second reservoir, the pump comprising:
 a first fluid path for pumping the first fluid coolant and a second fluid path for pumping the second fluid coolant, the first fluid path comprising a first pumping chamber and the second fluid path comprising a second pumping chamber; 
 a first diaphragm and a second diaphragm separating the first pumping chamber and the second pumping chamber; and 
 an actuator disposed between the first diaphragm and the second diaphragm for transitioning the first diaphragm and the second diaphragm between a first position and a second position, wherein when operational, transitioning the first diaphragm and the second diaphragm together to the first position pumps first fluid coolant from the first pumping chamber while concurrently drawing second fluid coolant into the second pumping chamber, and transitioning the first diaphragm and the second diaphragm together to the second position pumps second fluid coolant from the second pumping chamber while concurrently drawing first fluid coolant into the first pumping chamber; and 
 
 a first coolant loop coupling the first fluid path of the pump to a fluid inlet of the first fluid-cooled electronic module and a second coolant loop coupling the second fluid path of the pump to a fluid inlet of the second fluid-cooled electronic module. 
 
     
     
       9. The cooled electronics system of  claim 8 , wherein the first diaphragm comprises a wall of the first pumping chamber and the second diaphragm comprises a wall of the second pumping chamber. 
     
     
       10. The cooled electronics, system of  claim 8 , wherein the first fluid coolant is a different fluid coolant than the second fluid coolant. 
     
     
       11. The cooled electronics system of  claim 8 , wherein the first fluid coolant is a dielectric fluid and the second fluid coolant is an aqueous fluid. 
     
     
       12. The cooled electronics system of  claim 8 , wherein the actuator is a piezoelectric actuator, the piezoelectric actuator comprising a piezoelectric material coupled to the first diaphragm and the second diaphragm. 
     
     
       13. A method of cooling a first fluid-cooled electronic module and a second fluid-cooled electronic module, the method comprising:
 providing a pump for pumping a first fluid coolant and a second fluid coolant to the first fluid-cooled electronic module and the second fluid-cooled electronic module, respectively, the pump comprising:
 a first fluid path for pumping the first fluid coolant and a second fluid path for pumping the second fluid coolant, the first fluid path comprising a first pumping chamber and the second fluid path comprising a second pumping chamber; 
 a first diaphragm and a second diaphragm separating the first pumping chamber and the second pumping chamber; and 
 an actuator disposed between the first diaphragm and the second diaphragm for transitioning the first diaphragm and the second diaphragm between a first position and a second position, wherein transitioning the first diaphragm and the second diaphragm to the first position pumps first fluid coolant from the first pumping chamber while concurrently drawing second fluid coolant into the second pumping chamber, and transitioning the first diaphragm and the second diaphragm to the second position pumps second fluid coolant from the second pumping chamber while concurrently drawing first fluid coolant into the first pumping chamber; 
 
 employing the actuator to vibrate the first diaphragm and the second diaphragm together between the first position and the second position, wherein the vibrating continuously alternately:
 pumps first fluid coolant from the first pumping chamber while concurrently drawing second fluid coolant into the second pumping chamber; 
 pumps second fluid coolant from the second pumping chamber while concurrently drawing first fluid coolant into the first pumping chamber; and 
 
 providing a first coolant loop coupling the first fluid path of the pump to the first fluid-cooled electronic module and a second coolant loop coupling the second fluid path of the pump to a fluid inlet of the second fluid-cooled electronic module, and wherein the method further comprises employing the pump to concurrently provide first fluid coolant to the first fluid-cooled electronic module and second fluid coolant to the second fluid-cooled electronic module, and wherein the method further comprises providing at least one heat exchanger for cooling first fluid coolant output from the first fluid-cooled electronic module and second fluid coolant output from the second fluid-cooled electronic module, the at least one heat exchanger comprising a first reservoir for receiving the first fluid coolant output from the first fluid-cooled electronic module and a second reservoir for receiving the second fluid coolant output from the second fluid-cooled electronic module. 
 
     
     
       14. The method of  claim 13 , wherein the first diaphragm comprises a wall of the first pumping chamber and the second diaphragm comprises a wall of the second pumping chamber. 
     
     
       15. The method of  claim 13 , wherein the first fluid path is separate from the second fluid path, and the first fluid coolant and the second fluid coolant respectively cool a first electronic device and a second electronic device. 
     
     
       16. The method of  claim 15 , wherein the first fluid coolant is a different fluid coolant than the second fluid coolant. 
     
     
       17. The method of  claim 16 , wherein the first fluid coolant is a dielectric fluid and the second fluid coolant is an aqueous fluid, and wherein the actuator is a piezoelectric actuator.